The savage attack on the crowds viewing and participating in the Boston Marathon on Monday was a ruthless assault on innocents that will serve to remind all in authority in democratic nations that cowardly attacks on civilians remain the most potent weapon in the arsenal of terrorists.
To date, no one has come forward to claim responsibility for the attacks, but the severity of the attack, timed for maximum crowd density when the two bombs exploded and the pointlessness of the assault point to the cultivation of terror, with all the attendant helplessness and misjudgment that accompany that state of public mind.
The measured response of the Obama administration makes it clear that the government of the United States understands clearly that the management of the consequences of this attack is as important as any plan for seeking out its perpetrators or mounting a retaliatory attack.The US President confirmed yesterday that the bombing was being investigated as an act of terrorism.
Mr Obama was heartened by the public response in the aftermath of the attack, describing the American people as refusing to be terrorised.The public generosity was reinforced by the successful official response to the attack, the first post-9/11 test of emergency response protocols in Boston.In short order, 176 injured persons were medically managed, with 17 of them injured badly enough that amputation was likely to be the final recourse.
The two exploded bombs, packed with ball bearings, killed three people close to the blast, one of whom was an eight-year-old boy.This was an attack that took advantage of crowds, but also the multinational nature of the event, which attracts runners from around the world. The four participants from T&T were, mercifully, spared harm.The management and staff of Guardian Media Ltd extend condolences to those who died in this attack and wish quick recovery to those who survived.
The suborning of a sporting event to spread a message of terror is particularly offensive, a direct repudiation of the messages of mutual support, shared purpose, tolerance and acceptance that are so deeply embedded in multinational sport meets.Terrorism is an opportunistic, cross-border threat that seeks targets of opportunity and T&T must remain vigilant as a participant in global events and in the policing of our borders against potential menaces of this sort.
This will mean doing more to enhance existing links with global policing bodies already involved in suppressing terrorism and ensuring that our preventive measures are continuously upgraded to meet the constantly evolving threat.The bombing at the Boston Marathon will now raise issues and tightened security levels at all sporting events that follow, including Sunday's London Marathon, which has already begun planning a suitable tribute to those hurt and killed in Monday's attack.
In the wake of 9/11, travellers have learned to deal with new measures instituted to manage threats aboard aircraft.Now sportsmen and sports fans will have their own adjustments to make.Civil society wins when we can approach these challenges with understanding and patience.